


Pillow Talk

by Nighthaunting



Category: Warhammer - All Media Types, Warhammer 40.000
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff and Crack, Gen, Sirithy We Miss You, The Brightest Idea AU, magnus and russ sort of getting along, magnus is stubborn, russ is sneaky and perceptive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-22
Updated: 2017-02-22
Packaged: 2018-09-26 08:23:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9876209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nighthaunting/pseuds/Nighthaunting
Summary: Russ and Magnus talk semantics and Magnus’ poor personal habits.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the ‘Brightest Idea’ AU by Sirithy where Horus gets all the Primarchs together in a house and tries to have them solve their problems with each other by banging. Which I am super late to the party on, but was still an AU I am fond of.

Magnus had agreed to Horus’ plan with what he thought was a fair amount of grace. He didn’t think it would really work, and had only just barely managed to retrain himself from listing all of his reasons for thinking so to Hours’ face when he’d arrived, but he hadn’t put up the amount of fuss that others might have. It was a novel idea at least, and perhaps derived a bit more from Horus’ own goals than a purely objective desire for all of them to put aside their issues or perhaps even overcome them.

So far he’d spent his time admiring Perturabo’s skillful construction of their current dwellings and becoming oriented with the various unique features it offered. With his powers it was easy enough to feel the beacons that were his brother’s minds and avoid them and he did so, not because he wasn’t interested in being social, but because his own ‘feuds’–if they could even be called that–were so minor. Best to let everyone run around and address their more pressing arguments while he took advantage of their week of enforced vacation. To that end, Magnus had secured himself a very comfortable set of rooms that were well removed from the main hallways he’d identified and settled in.

As the days had gone by, he’d been largely undisturbed as well. During a short sojourn to find more towels he’d run into the Khan and exchanged a few pleasant words, and on another trip when he’d decided some wine would be nice after a particularly soothing session of meditation he’d met Perturabo and had a very nice conversation about the architectural influences that had gone into their current retreat, but otherwise he had been out of the way of his brothers and whatever they were doing. Which wasn’t something he was sad about, even though he had noted that there did seem to be a great deal less underlying tension bleeding from everyone’s auras. When their stay was over he would be sure to mention that to Horus, whose idea seemed to have had some merit after all.

More importantly, however, was the fact that he’d been enjoying his time free of the responsibilities of his legion–which he would never give up, but could become periodically onerous–spending a great deal of time meditating and soaking in the bath. The chance to clear a mind as vast as his did not come along very often, and so it was a much more relaxed and tolerant Magnus that was roused from his meditations by a scent that was certainly not coming from the candles he’d lit. Cautiously he opened his eye to find Russ sitting on the floor across from him. There was a moment when a strange light passed through Russ’ eyes and just as suddenly his aura flickered to life around him, so quickly that Magnus would have doubted feeling it if not for the absence of presence he’d felt before.

Russ grinned at him, “Magnus, it’s not healthy to sleep sitting up.”

Magnus frowned, both at being snuck up on and at the mystery of how Russ had managed it, “You smell like wet dog,” he said, “and I don’t sleep.”

At that admission Russ’ brows rose, “You never sleep?” he echoed, “How do you dream?”

The question was unexpected enough to give Magnus pause. If he’d been expecting anything from Russ he’d have expected dismissal, or perhaps mockery. They had never seen eye to eye, and had found even less reason to attempt bridging the divide between them; but Russ was looking at him expectantly, waiting for his answer, and Magnus found himself treating Russ’ curiosity seriously. “People dream because that’s how their brains process information that it isn’t able to fully parse when they are awake. I, however, as a psyker, have enough mental discipline to be able to fully process all sensory input merely by meditating, so I’ve eliminated the need for sleep.”  
  
Russ grimaced at the word 'psyker’, but otherwise seemed to be listening. Magnus brushed carefully against the barest edges of Russ’ aura, gently gauging his disposition while avoiding the temptation to do a more thorough reading. He sensed curiosity still, and some doubt, but mostly a great well of reservation. It was enough for Magnus to feel heartened; maybe Horus had been right after all and presenting some of their more truculent brothers with a chance to reflect on their stubborn and wrong-headed beliefs would be enough to bring them more harmoniously into the forward-thinking Imperium they couldn’t seem to grasp they were living in already.  
  
Immensely cheered by the prospect that finally Russ was going to admit he was wrong and possibly apologize for his past maligning of the Art and his Legion, Magnus was drawn back to the conversation by Russ’ next question.  
  
“If you never sleep, though,” said Russ, tilting his head slightly as he studied Magnus, “then how do you rest?”  
  
Magnus beamed at him, “Again: meditation. By entering a meditative state that allows for basic awareness while relieving the brain from the more strenuous activities, a person is still able to process mentally while also resting.”  
  
“Magnus,” Russ said slowly, as though he were trying to figure out how he wanted to phrase what he said next, “that sounds like sleep. Exactly like sleep.”  
  
“I understand how you might be confused,” Magnus said diplomatically, but Russ held up a hand to silence him.  
  
“Pardon, brother, I wasn’t finished,” Russ said, dropping his hand and stretching slightly in his position on the floor. “What you describe sounds a great deal like sleep, and it makes me wonder why you pursue a more complicated form of rest than everyone else.”  
  
Magnus huffed, “It’s hardly more complicated, and I’ve always done it this way,” he said, somewhat defensively.  
  
Russ looked surprised, though, “You’ve never slept at all?” he asked. An undercurrent of what Magnus could only describe as morbid curiosity colored Russ’ aura, and he would have almost been offended if he hadn’t reminded himself that Russ could hardly be blamed for not understanding.  
  
“No,” Magnus replied, with a somewhat bizarre feeling of pride, “never.”  
  
“Then how do you know?” Russ asked.  
  
“Know what?” Magnus asked in return, somewhat mystified as to how their conversation had taken this turn.  
  
“You said your way was more efficient than sleep,” Russ explained, “if you’ve never slept then how do you know?”  
  
Momentarily, Magnus was surprised, but he answered easily enough, “Observation of my Legion, of course.”  
  
Russ frowned, “But you’ve never slept yourself,” he said again, “how can you know?”  
  
“I don’t need to sleep to know what the evidence tells me,” Magnus replied somewhat waspishly.  
  
“Magnus …” Russ began, and the trailed off. Magnus could sense conflict, as Russ debated with himself whether he should finish his thought. Russ tilted his head again, considering Magnus with a great deal of thought. Despite himself Magnus felt a sense of anticipation, wanting to know what Russ might have to say that was making him think this hard.  
  
Russ sighed, “Magnus, people are made to sleep for a reason. Just because your focus is on the mind doesn’t mean you’re able to completely ignore your body.”  
  
The thought that Russ of all people was chiding him about looking after himself was enough to make Magnus laugh, but the expression on Russ’ face was serious and his chuckling quietly died out.  
  
“I’m flattered by your concern,” he said, “but I’m not ignoring my body. I’m just functioning at a level that’s more advanced.”  
  
There was a bit of smugness that was impossible to keep out of his voice, but Magnus was proud of himself and what he was accomplishing and so he felt little shame in it. Russ, however, merely frowned again.

“Perhaps,” Russ said, standing and moving to settle himself on one of the room’s low couches, “but if you’ve never tried it, how can you know for sure?”

Magnus frowned and stood as well, crossing the room so he could keep Russ in his sights, “What I’d like to know is why you’re so adamant about this.”

Russ grinned up at him, “Well, Horus did bring us all here to sleep away our problems with each other,” he spread an arm suggestively over the back of the couch, “and yet you’re unwilling to even try it.”

For a long moment Magnus said nothing. From Russ’ self-satisfied smirk he probably thought his play on words was clever, but the subtle jibe at Magnus himself Russ had managed to work in pricked at Magnus’ desire to be tolerant of Russ’ company. 

“I am _perfectly willing_ to try it!” Magnus hissed, letting himself fall onto the couch next to Russ. He somehow ended up with Russ’ arm around his shoulders, with his head resting on Russ’ chest and his legs stretched out along the length of the couch; Magnus’ attention, however, was far more focused on relaxing his mind with Russ so near to him than their positions. 

He sat rigidly for several minutes, before Russ chuckled lightly and pressed fingers into the tightness of his shoulders. Magnus tried to lapse into meditative breathing, but Russ rumbled wordlessly in his ear and prodded at him until he slowly relaxed. Shutting his eye, Magnus determined he’d allow this for a few minutes longer before putting and end to Russ’ ridiculous experiment. 

There was a long space of quiet, and Magnus opened his eye again to find things unchanged. Despite his disdain for the situation he was in, Magnus felt wonderful, as though he’d reached a new state of meditation during the few minutes he’d let his mind go quiet.

“See,” he said to Russ, “absolutely pointless, I didn’t even sleep and am even more than perfectly refreshed.”

Russ laughed at him, but there was a look in his eyes and a feel to his aura that was… saddened? concerned? Magnus couldn’t entirely discern the emotion, and was distracted from trying when Russ spoke to him.

“Magnus, you’ve been asleep for three hours.”

“I have not,” was Magnus’ first response, followed by reaching out psychically to find someone’s awareness of how much time had–or hadn’t–passed since Russ had shown up to bother him.

Russ gave him that same inscrutable look again, as Magnus realized he had been asleep. The surprise must have shown on his face because Russ sighed–at him, Magnus knew, which was ridiculous, as though he were the one who was hopelessly wrongheaded about everything and not Russ–and said, “Amazing how your mind is still dependent on your body no matter how far you try to get from it.”

**Author's Note:**

> in the end magnus and russ are each other's balances and no force in the universe can put them asunder
> 
> unfortunately


End file.
